Literacy Blogs

Teacher’s Question: Dear Dr. Shanahan, I have been searching for research around student testing. Could you point me in the direction of relevant research: Does testing time of the day make a difference? Does it matter if the testing proctor is that student's teacher for that subject? What effect does testing over several days in short bursts have?   With the state test, all grades are tested on the same day at the same time. But our benchmark tests are different. We give those three times a year (a test with four passages and 35 questions, taking about two hours to complete). Students are tested within their ELA or Math ...

  Blast from the Past: This entry first posted on September 7, 2019, and reappeared on February 10, 2024. It seems to be that time of the year again. Principals are being encouraged by central administrations to put on the full court press for higher test scores this year. I know that, not because of Mardi Gras or Groundhog Day, but because I'm starting to get those questions from teachers. Here is one that just came in: "Dr. Shanahan, you have stated that STANDARDIZED reading test items analysis is a 'fool's errand.' My district requires me to complete an items analysis ...